This archive report was first published on 12 July 2019.
On September 13, President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a directive to merge the Administration Police Service (APS) with the Kenya Police Service (KPS). The directive has led to significant changes in the police command structure, with the government handing over nearly 24,000 APS officers to the KPS.
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i presided over the ceremony, where the officers were handed over to the KPS. The officers will now be under sub-county commanders, popularly known as Officers Commanding Police Division (OCPD). The change affects more than 3,600 chiefs' camps in Kenya, with all of them being transformed into police posts.
According to the President's directive, all 1,520 wards in the country will have police stations, manned by an Officer Commanding Station (OCS). The current constituencies will also have police divisions, served by sub-county police commanders formerly known as OCPDs.
The new changes started with the collapse of parallel commanders for the APS, KPS, and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). The parallel commanders were all of the same rank, making overall command challenging.
As a result of the merger, the APS will now man 22 border posts at the Kenya-Somalia main border. The Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) will have offices in all counties, while the specialized units will have the same operation area uniform. The general duty uniform will be rolled out gradually due to the huge number of officers involved.
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i stated that the changes aim to devolve services across the country, making it easier for citizens to access government services. The chief will be present at the chief's camp, and if a case needs police attention, an officer in charge of a post or patrol base will attend to it.
The camps will have a holding cell and will handle all cases professionally. Most of the APS who remained will be in charge of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU), which is mandated to protect electricity, banks, government buildings, and installations.
